Drenden Protectorate and the Northern Company
The Drenden Protectorate, formed following the early conquests by Drenden of surrounding cities and lands, has since become a sprawling empire in eastern Farthrone and the Amaran Sea. Drenden, and by extension the Protectorate, enjoy a position of economic and military primacy in the region, able to exert their influence to all shores of the Amaran and beyond. This position of primacy has only recently been challenged by the return of the Tsi Gao. Whether this new threat, combined with the other deteriorating situations in the region, will be enough to topple Drenden and its territories remains to be seen. Overview Although at a glance one would assume the Protectorate operated under a simple form of rule, with Drenden holding all executive power and the Protectorates being mere puppet states, the reality is much more complex. In essence, the territories of the Protectorate differ in taxation, administration and even autonomy based on the nature of their usefulness to Drenden and the method by which they became a protectorate, but also their assimilation into Drenden's culture. Olden, for instance, was a willing Protectorate to Drenden, and readily adopted Drenden's architecture, art styles and technology, to the point that Olden has become a haven for ex-Admirals and Nobility in the wider Empire, who favour the cities refined tastes and exquisite culture. On the other hand, the Island Territories such as New Vahna are ruled with an iron fist, viewed as too valuable to the Company to allow any formal government of its own. This has the side effect of creating a culture of smuggling and piracy for those who find themselves outside the Company's pay. For some, therefore, the Protectorate is an uplifting relationship, a chance to imitate and be assimilated into Drenden's wealth, power, and technological achievement. For others, the Protectorate is a great lumbering beast, ignorant and ultimately unable to account for everything within its domain, and open to exploitation for those who operate outside the law. Finally, for those working on the Company's plantations, the Protectorate is a tyrant, seizing the fruits of their labour and paying little, if anything, in return. Olden For more on this, see here. Olden is one of the first city's to unite with Drenden, the leadership of both cities becoming increasingly connected through bloodlines and shared economic interests. It maintains a close connection to the capital, though it's aristocratic families enjoy great freedom from the demands of the Company. Grafden For more on this see here. A city far from the coast, Grafden is built upon a great catacombs around a great mound of earth with a black fortress of obsidian stone that sits atop it. The local religion is focused on paying your way into the afterlife in death, with clerics acting as wardens of the grave. New Vahna For more on this see here. New Vahna is a floating city built over the sunken remains of Old Vahna in The Amaran Sea in south east Farthrone. History The lands and peoples of the Protectorate, after they were conquered or persuaded by Drenden, forswore any individual military activity or production in favour of the "protection" offered by the armies and fleets of Drenden itself. This protection manifests itself in the Northern Company, a titanic trading corporation which maintains its own fleets and armies, and finances itself through expansion and trade abroad, simultaneously funding and funded by the Protectorate, while also providing the military force to guard its interests. Founding The Northern Company was founded by the City-Keeper of Drenden, Avhus Durn, shortly after the conquest of Aarven, a small town to the north of Drenden, and the formation of the Protectorate of Olden, Drenden's first willing client state. To force the Merchant Houses to work together for the interests of the nation, especially given the growing threat of Suhli to the south and Novdahain and Baarsk to the North, Durn envisaged a conglomerate of business and military interests to protect the nation. Each city or Protectorate would pay tribute to the Northern Company, which would in turn promise positive trade returns, and military protection. Bydoing so, Durn hoped that even the loyalty of conquered peoples would be ensured, since the Northern Company promised a return on their tribute. First Actions Given the apparent threats in the North, the Company was formed initially as the Northern Company, who's first priority was to deal with the peoples in Baarsk. After much deliberation by Company leaders, a diplomatic approach was agreed upon, hoping to trade with the Baarskins and improve relations, thereby giving the Company a stronghold in the north from which they could strike at Novdahain. However, the discovery of Farwatch and the realisation by diplomats that Novdahain and Baarsk were at each others throats as much as they eyed Drenden's lands led to a change in strategy. The Company would now only maintain a small quarter in Baarsk, instead basing its northern operations out of Farwatch. The Company would also begin to export weapons, especially those fueled by gunpowder, to Baarsk, and attempt to drive the two northern powers against one another. Expansion in the South Although the Company developed into a formidable naval power, its initial founders envisaged vast land armies made up of levies from the Protectorates, and led by the people of Drenden. It was under this initial vision that expansions south towards the Rhatu Peninsula were made. However, the city-state of Suhli, which had viewed Drenden's rise with trepidation, successfully managed to stall, divert and eventually halt the army through a series of assassinations, bribes and magical disruptions. Infuriated by this loss, but wiser now in their actions, the leaders of the Company sought enormous amounts of funding for the expansion of Drenden's docks and the creation of a formidable fleet of frigates and galleys, ships they believed could be used as easily for trade as for war. Their intent was simple; if invading Suhli directly was to prove fruitless, they would bypass the entire peninsula, instead driving their fleets deep into the Vahnese Isles and the legendary riches therein. The Isles Due to their losses in the Rhatu peninsula, and the amount of investment needed to kickstart a professional, unparalleled navy, the fate of the Company seemed in danger as many of the Merchant Houses began to quietly quit the project, winding down their funding or increasing the number of private operations, many of which were declared illegal smuggling and conspiracy by the City-Keeper, who was eager to keep the dream of the Company alive. Scraping together enough favours and fortunes to build a small flotilla of 5 frigates, the Company set out for the Vahnese Isles, sailing along the Rhatu Peninsula and past Ruhx. Several months later, burdened with spices, fruits, loot and fantastic tales, they returned to Drenden as heroes, their first voyage netting over 500% of the original investment. Subsequently, funding for the Company increase dramatically, and its presence found its way to the majority of the Isles in the form of plantations, mines, fortifications or simple piracy. Ruhxian and Suhlian traders, eager to have their share of the profit, found themselves entangled by webs of red tape, tariffs, and hidden taxes, meticulously designed to maintain the Company's monopoly. War with the Tsi Gao Since their return from across the sea, the Tsi Gao have waged war on the Company, claiming the entirety of the Vahnese Isles as their own. The Company responded by quickly militarising their ports, doubling production of weapons and ships, and fitting out their trading galleys with canon and weapons. Although the war, as of 8 DE, is far from over, both sides now have to contend with the growing power and aggression of Xhahon-Dor's forces, which threaten to overrun the region.Category:Organisations Category:Drenden